Neuroscience
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Review Meta Analysis
Peripheral CD4+ T helper lymphocytes alterations in major depressive disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Previous research has shown that patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) develop immune dysfunction. However, the exact alterations of cluster of differentiation (CD)4+ T helper (Th) lymphocytes in MDD remains unclear. This meta-analysis aimed to examine the specific changes in CD4+ Th cells. ⋯ Heterogeneity was large (I2:18.1-95.2 %), and possible sources of heterogeneity were explored (e.g., age, depression scale, country, and antidepressant use). Our findings indicate that peripheral CD4+ T cells in depressed patients exhibit features of adaptive immune dysfunction, as evidenced by increased CD4+ Th cells and CD4+/CD8+ and decreased Treg cells. These findings offer insights into the underlying mechanism of MDD.
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We recently showed that vestibular stimulation can produce a long-lasting alleviation of motor features in Parkinson's disease. Here we investigated whether components of the motor related cortical response that are commonly compromised in Parkinson's - the Bereitschaftspotential and mu-rhythm event-related desynchronization - are modulated by concurrent, low frequency galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS) during repetitive limb movement amongst 17 individuals with idiopathic Parkinson's disease. Relative to sham, GVS was favourably associated with higher amplitudes during the late and movement phases of the Bereitschaftspotential and with a more pronounced decrease in spectral power within the mu-rhythm range during finger-tapping. These data increase understanding of how GVS interacts with the preparation and execution of voluntary movement and give added impetus to explore its therapeutic effects on Parkinsonian motor features.
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Stress-induced NLRP3 inflammasome activation and myelin alterations in the hippocampus of PTSD rats.
Inflammatory and myelin changes may contribute to the pathophysiology of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The NOD-like receptor (NLR) family, pyrin domain-containing protein 3 (NLRP3), a brain inflammasome, is activated in the hippocampus of mice with PTSD. In other psychiatric disorders, NLRP3 expression has been associated with axonal myelination and demyelination. ⋯ MCC950 reduced the expression of NLRP3-related pathway proteins, improved anxiety behaviour and spatial learning memory impairment, and inhibited the increase in myelin content in the hippocampal region of rats after SPS. In conclusion the study indicates that NLRP3 has a significant role in the hippocampal region of rats with PTSD. Inhibition of the NLRP3 inflammasome could be a potential target for treating PTSD.
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Glymphatic system dysfunction in mood disorders: Evaluation by diffusion magnetic resonance imaging.
The glymphatic system, an expansive cerebral waste-disposal network, harbors myriad enigmatic facets necessitating elucidation of their nexus with diverse pathologies. Murine investigations have revealed a relationship between the glymphatic system and affective disorders. This study aimed to illuminate the interplay between bipolar disorder and the glymphatic system. ⋯ A free-water imaging analysis revealed a substantial elevation in the free-water index within the white-matter tracts, prominently centered on the corpus callosum, within the bipolar cohort relative to that in the control group. In analogous cerebral regions, a conspicuous affirmative correlation was observed between the free-water-corrected radial diffusivity and depression rating scales. Our results showed that the protracted course of bipolar disorder concomitantly exacerbated glymphatic system dysregulation.
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The perirhinal cortex (PRC) and parahippocampal cortex (PHC) are core regions along the visual dual-stream. The specific functional roles of the PRC and PHC and their interactions with the downstream hippocampus cortex (HPC) are crucial for understanding visual memory. Our research used human intracranial EEGs to study the neural mechanism of the PRC, PHC, and HPC in visual object encoding. ⋯ Inter-regional analyses showed strong bidirectional interactions of the PRC with both the PHC and HPC in the low-frequency band, whereas the interactions between the PHC and HPC were not significant. These findings demonstrated the core role of the PRC in encoding visual object information and supported the hypothesis of PRC-HPC-ventral object pathway. The recruitment of the PHC and its interaction with the PRC in visual object encoding also provide new insights beyond the traditional dorsal-stream hypothesis.